Help Us Write our Year in Review

In a couple of days, 2014 shall be officially in the books. As we "turn the page" on 2014, we'd like to take the opportunity to reflect and evaluate our past year as a company.

From a behind-the-scenes standpoint, Goldspot had one of our most consistently busiest years. From new product and brand introductions to our new version of our website launched in September, we have been striving throughout the year to improve every facet of our business.

Since our business thrives on the relationship with our customers, we believe that the story of our year should be narrated by our customers. Our focus is to bring you the best selection of fine writing instruments at the most competitive prices with exceptional customer service. Even if you haven't ordered from us in the past year, but follow us on social media and read our blog, we still want to know if you believe we hit our mark.

Tell us if we've succeeded in our goal this year by filling out our quick, 2-minute survey. 

You can also feel free to post on our Facebook wall, tweet us @goldspotpens or leave a comment below to give us additional feedback. 

Thank you guys. Have a Happy & Healthy 2015!

Noodler's Giveaway Result + Shipping Before Xmas

We had, hands-down, our most fun and interactive giveaway yet. A few weeks ago, we announced our new, bulletproof Noodler's Revolution Blue ink. To celebrate, we hosted a giveaway on this blog and our social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. The theme was to let your "pen war cries" against the digital age fly.

The responses we received were creative, funny and encouraging. The pen community came out in force and represented big time! We randomly picked one of the few hundred entries. The winner is.....

Sot Yuxin

Please e-mail tom@goldspot.com directly with your information to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the giveaway!

Holiday Shipping Schedule

Now, on to business. Christmas Eve is upon us, which is the last possible day to either receive a USPS package or UPS express shipment. Here is a schedule leading up to Christmas Eve and how much our "Get it by Xmas" shipping will cost.

For the remainder of today, Thursday, December 18th, you can take advantage of our Free Shipping Day promotion where there is no minimum to get free shipping with your order. That means any refill or pen ships with $0 shipping charge. This party ends at 11:59pm.

Once Friday, the 19th comes, we are offering a special "Get it by XMAS" shipping method. Simply add any "Quick Ship" items to your cart and select the "Get it by XMAS" shipping method during checkout. We guarantee that your order will be expedited for shipment and we will try our best to get them to you on or before December 24th.

The "Quick Ship" items are available for immediate shipping, but sometimes inventory can run out quicker than our website can be updated. If this is the case, we will contact you as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements or give you the option to cancel. Although our engraving team is fast at work, churning out scores of engraved pens and gifts every day this month, if you select engraving on your order at this time, it may add an additional day to the shipping time. Visit our website for more details about our shipping schedule.

You will still be able to get free shipping on your order of $49 or more, but there is no guarantee that the economy shipping would be able to make the delivery prior to Christmas.

As always, call, chat or e-mail if you have a question or need help with placing your order. Happy Holidays!

Noodler's Neponset Acrylic Pens Available Next Week

Well, Nathan Tardif, the "Willy Wonka" of the fountain pen world, has done it again. To follow up the gargantuan success of the Noodler's Neponset Ebonite Music Nib fountain pens, he has completed a very small batch of Neponset pens in acrylic colors, some of which share the same name as certain Konrad acrylic pens.

Some of the color names that we will be receiving include (UPDATED to include Photos) :

Emeralds on the Sun (no photo yet)
Forbidden City (no photo yet)
Black Python in Pearls (no photo yet)

Coral Sea

Marbled Mairanus

Bengal Tiger

Victory Garden

Himalayan Ruby

Lake Baikal

Appalachian Pearl

Ghostly Lapis

Inventory will be extremely limited. We expect to have them early next week and will be taking photographs the moment they arrive and will announce on our social media and through our e-mail newsletter (sign up here) when they will be available on the website for sale.

Most likely, this will be the last batch until after Christmas. Noodler's does plan on having more of the Black Ebonite and Red Rebellion Ebonite in the next few weeks, but there are no guarantees for Christmas delivery on those either.

Noodler's Revolution Blue + Neponset Giveaway

December's Social Pen Giveaway in in honor of our first-ever collaboration with Noodler's Ink. We're giving away one bottle of our new, retailer-exclusive Noodler's Revolution Blue 3oz bottled ink AND a Noodler's Neponset Briarwood Ebonite fountain pen. Besides the fact that all the Neponset music nib fountain pens have sold out everywhere, this one is a limited production of only 7 that were made in the Briarwood Ebonite.

How To Enter

We want to hear your battle cry!

For decades, digital devices have marginalized the use of handwriting and penmanship in schools and businesses. Today, we rise up to let the masses know that we will not go quietly into the inky night. Proudly carry your Daily Arsenal of pens in your pocket. Show off your Spencerian and flex those nibs if you've got them.

You have (3) possible entries for this giveaway. One is by simply commenting on this blog post with your pen battle cry. The second and third entries can be obtained via Facebook and Twitter. If you have an account with either social network, simply find our page (details below) and Like or Re-Tweet the giveaway post below :

Join @goldspotpens in the fight against digital! Viva la Pluma! #PenRevolution http://bit.ly/1tF7Knq

(Feel free to add your own pen battle cry and tag it #PenRevolution)

Here is How to Enter (no purchase necessary) :

1. Comment on this post (1 Entry / person)
2. Click over to our page on Facebook or Twitter. 
3. Post your Pen Battle Cry with the hashtag #PenRevolution
4. "Like" or Re-Tweet the link to the giveaway above (1 Entry per Twitter and/or Facebook Account).

...and that's it! We'll keep track of all the entries and then choose a fan using a random number generator to select one lucky winner. Deadline for Entries is Thursday, December 18, 2014 at 2p ET.

We will contact the winner directly through either Facebook, Twitter or E-mail to obtain the shipping information and send out your Noodler's Neponset Pen & Noodler's Revolution Blue!

Introducing Noodler's Revolution Blue Ink

In a collaboration between New Jersey-based Goldspot Pens & Noodler's Ink, we proudly present a blue so exceptional, it is "revolutionary." Themed after one of the most crucial battles in the American Revolutionary War that took place on New Jersey soil, Revolution Blue is 3 ounces of fountain pen ink that delivers on performance and color.

The saturated, medium-toned blue ink has a brilliant look on the page. It flows well in both a fine nib and a thick, wet nib like the Neponset music nib. Revolution Blue does have a significant degree of shading and a bit of purplish sheen when using a broader, wetter nib. Click the writing samples below for a larger detail view. The paper is an 80g Rhodia sheet with a custom InkJournal page template printed on it.

Drying time is about 10 seconds with a finer nib and 15+ seconds with the music nib. Once the ink dried, we performed a water droplet test on the scribble swatches and found that Revolution Blue, although may not be completely waterproof, is definitely water-resistant.

UPDATE : After contacting Noodler's to find the performance specifications of the Revolution Blue, it has been stated by the manufacturer that this ink is indeed considered to be Bulletproof, which means that it is UV resistant, fade resistant, forgery resistant, and waterproof. It might have been that in the sample below, I did not allow for enough time for the saturated ink areas to dry before doing the water test and smearing some of the ink around. As you can see in the scribbles at the ends, no smearing is present.

Coincidentally, we received this ink a few weeks before the 238th anniversary of George Washington's pre-dawn crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Day. This blue ought to make an excellent gift for the fountain pen lover on your list... or yourself (we won't tell).